Bryan Colby

I haven't posted too much about the kids lately. About how they are doing individually, at any rate...

Bryan is struggling here, a bit. He's very angry...I don't know. He says he likes it here, but he acts out constantly. Oh! My boy is still very sweet and loving.Good in heart and kind. He just gets easily frustrated.. Sometimes, I think he's just too msart for his own good and a childs''life" bores him...

He hasn't made any real friends, but then, he never does. He's content to just be in Kailey's world and that is enough for him. Unfortunately, the kids in his class don't get that and so he is "different" to them. Not good for a 3rd Grade boy who just wants to be left alone.

Bryan played soccer again this season, but Kailey didn't - so his heart wasn't in it. He likes karate pretty well, but it's competition with Kailey and so he gets easily frustrated. He's very good, he just doesn't realize it...

He is a Bear Scout this year - his 1st year in Boy Scouts ( finally!). His own thing that he gets to do that doesn't involve his sister. He loves, loves, LOVES his Den-master, Bryan, and I think that has a lot to do with it. That and Den-master Karin lets them play with food and do crafts!

He is doing OK in school. His grades are pretty good - he's finally started learning cursive and as I suspected - he's much better at that than regular writing. He loves science and computers. He is a genius on the computer...He's SO smart - he doesn't even know it. Very math, science, and engineering orientated.

My biggest concern for him, right now, is how tired Bryan always is. He falls asleep everytime he stops moving - in the car, at Kailey's dance classes, and as soon as he settles down at night. I have done everything I can to make sure his nighttime rest is "good sleep", but it doesn't seem to matter.

Soccer season is over and basketball season doesn't start until December. So he's got a little break in there. Daddy will be home sooner, rather than later now, and he will also be the coach for Bryan and Kailey.

Scouts will just be a "Daddy/Bryan" thing, so we're looking forward to that for them.

I hope that is all Bry needs - his Daddy home for awhile.

It's just been too long...

Kailey

As always - the "blooms where she's planted" twin.

She is doing really well. This Fall - she is in her 5th year of Girl Scouts, 2nd season of cheerleading, 7th year of dance ( lyrical and jazz), and starting her yellow belt level of Shotokan karate. When Daddy gets home - she will begin her 2nd season of basketball.

We've been told for a long time what a talented and graceful dancer she is - her current instructor says she seems to have a feel for choreography as well. This must also carry over into her karate - her Sensei says she is so natural in her skill and abilities, that she is almost "Asian" in her movements...

Kailey never complains about being in Germany. I know she misses her friends, especially Mia, and her life back Stateside - but she rarely mentions it. She is pretty much content to just grab whatever privacy and quiet she can get - and read a book. Or five...

She has made many new friends...Her "Best" friend however, is Hannah. They are joined at the hip - or at least they would be if Kailey was just a bit taller! They have the same class at school and are in karate together. I say I have triplets now, because they are always together.

She is still very sweet, funny, and smart. The Type A personality continues, but Mom is learning to adapt - at least one of us has it together! The thing I am most proud of, though, is her natural empathy for others and the way she with younger children. More than one parent has come up to me and said how much their children love and admire Kailey for being so good to them. She's like everybody's big sister...and quite the leader!

School is going really well for Kailey this year. She is in a regular classroom and loving it. The class is behind still, and she can't "work up" like she could in Multi-age last year, HOWEVER she has been selected for the Gifted Program at school this year and is just thrilled with her teacher and the classes...Hopefully, she will keep up with the stateside schools thru that venue.

Puberty is rearing it's ugly head for her - VERY early. She seems to be adjusting OK - just more emotional than usual for now. Lots of physical changes going on for her also, but she is choosing to ignore it all - and that's just fine by me. Daddy and I are NOT ready!

Otherwise - all is well in Kailey's world!

The Karate Kids

FINALLY got their yellow belts. They are SO proud!!!

They had tested a while back, but Sensei had ordered the wrong ones, so they had kind of a long wait, for a kid.

I am thrilled for them. They worked hard and gave it their all - they deserved it. It has also done a lot for their personalities as well. I can tell they are WAY more confident than they had been...

Way to go Bryan and Kailey!

Welcome Home ?

It's about that time...

The ones on vacation will be coming back soon. Some are due any day now. We are all getting ready - finishing up "To Do" lists, making everything look nice, preparing the areas for arrival, and hitting the gyms and diets like fiends so WE look good as well...

The Boy and Girl Scouts are doing their part - they made posters, then they tied yellow ribbons one afternoon and spent a Saturday morning putting them up on light posts...

The next day - we decorated the work spaces.

I still have a TON of stuff here at home to get done and it's gonna be crazy!

Not too much longer now....

Bye-bye corn...

...hello kits, sheep, and snakes?!

Fall arrived with a vengence, very early and more Winter-ish than Fall, but hey! I love the cold, dreary days, so I'm a happy girl!

After a few nights of freeze and frost, our farmer decided to harvest the corn - probably a wise move on his part since many of the other corn fields look as if they were totally destroyed by the frost...

I watched them all day - it was kind of sad, but thrilling as well... As previously blogged, the kids and I had enjoyed watching it grow all summer. To go from bare field to towering stalks was sort of the story of our summer and a bizarre analogy of our lives and Steven's current vacation - he left at the start of the summer, we grew and explored in separate locations, and now THIS separation is coming, finally, to an end...

I think we are ready.

And there have been more new experiences in our rural lives out here -

A lady had told me the story one night of how her cat had been molested that afternoon by a baby fox in her yard on Post. The VERY next afternoon - I saw several of them myself, 1 darted across the road in front of me and the others have been out here near the fields and forests - they are so CUTE! They have small-ish bodies, but these HUGE bushy tails bigger than their bodies. They have small heads with pointy ears and very large eyes...

Then I started hearing the snake stories - I guess the weather has confused them and so they are looking to hibernate and these cozy little houses of ours must seem like a good idea...not poisonous, but 1 totally freaked a neighbor out - in her house where her baby was on the floor and my Natalie, next door, came out to one on her doormat...Uh? Natalie? Just where DID that ONE slither off to, anyways?

Last week, I kept hearing geese honking all day and night - I wonder where they were coming from? I hadn't seen any livestock other than horses out HERE? Until a few days later, when I was in the bathroom and heard a dog barking and very loud BAAH's.... SERIOUSLY! There was a herd of sheep AND a shepherd AND an actual sheep dog crossing the furthest field to the forest...

It was SO cool!!! I took pics , but they were pretty far away - the kids couldn't even see them.

I'm SUCH a city girl!.....LOL :D