Sunny California here we come!

Nate and I are going to take a week long trip to CA tomorrow. It is the kids last week of school so they will spend half the time with Nanny and Papa, and the other half with Grandma and Grandpa. This trip came about pretty suddenly, actually Nate sort of tricked me/ pressured me into going all in a matter of minutes. You know how much I love to fly, so he caught me before I could make any of the numerous excuses that I normally make. ( sigh!) We had to use some tickets before they expired in June, and he has a meeting in LA on Monday, so we are combining that with a visit to Nate's sister Tammy who lives outside LA. We will be staying with her for most of the trip. I am excited about that, she is an animal trainer and so their facilities are host to some neat animals. I am getting a little excited about the prospect, but I had the Dr. prescribe me some anti-anxiety meds as a crutch.

In kid news, Luke scored the highest possible score that he could get on the CRCT test in reading. His teacher was so excited she called me at home to tell me. Reading was his weakest subject that was why I had him in 2nd instead of 3rd grade and even then he was still reading on a first grade level. He worked so hard and diligently this past year, I am very proud of him.

Evan scored incredibly well all the way around, and was awarded with several advanced reader certificates. His teacher said that he tested the highest of all 4th graders on one particular test. He has had a very good year as well.

Dania did not pass the CRCT even though Math was the only subject they required her to take. She is still terribly behind, she is going to have to make giant leaps over the summer, otherwise they want to keep her in the first grade. Academically they are absolutely correct, she is more like a kindergartner. She is missing some basic fundementals, socially however, I am concerned about her turning 9 next May and still being in the 1st grade. If she were to continue in school she would turn 13 in the 5th grade. Well, I have time to consider what to do, and work with her this summer. I may get a ESOL tutor to help her out. She is exploding with her language, and we have had many funny moments with her. The other day she was running out the door with no shoes and I yelled,"don't go out with your barefeet." She stopped in the doorway and turned around with an incredulous look on her face and said, "me no have bear feet, me feet no look like bear" then she crumbled in hysterical laughter. A few days ago Luke was sticking his feet in her face and she said, "take that out, I can see the stink," The boys thought that was so funny, they mocked her all day about "seeing the stink."

Austin is doing fabulous all the way around. He is definitely a teenager now. His mouth has been some trouble, he tends to back talk now and then. The wonderful thing is that he is so quick to receive instruction. He is a great help around the house, and always asks if he can help me do anything. He is riding his dirt bike like a professional maniac and even treated Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Warren and his poor mother to a pretty terrific crash on Mothers Day. He survived with only a black eye, and we survived watching it happen right before our eyes.