Spring is coming!

There's no stopping it! There's nothing you can do to hold back the warmer weather...AND it's ABOUT TIME!!! It's cold today, but interspersed between colder days we're enjoying surprising warmth. Of course, the sudden changes between warm and cold also will be signalling the arrival of more storms, but I'm willing to take my chances! ;-)
August is taking his first round of ISATs this week. These are Illinois Student Achievement Tests, which supposedly determine how well students are learning. I'm very interested to see how August performs. He is very bright, but easily distracted. I did my job and made sure he slept well, ate a good breakfast and received encouragement this morning. (The school actually sent home a letter asking parents to do this!)
We are enjoying the calm between the storms of extra-curricular activity. Swim lessons are over, and soccer doesn't start for a couple of weeks yet. August joined a theatre class through the park district and will be performing in April at the Illinois Valley Central high school auditorium. The class includes grades 3 to 5, about 20 kids.
Katie is still enjoying kindergarten. She loves her teacher and loves to see her friends. The few times she gets in trouble, it's for talking too much! She really enjoyed swimming lessons and has asked to join a swim team when she is older. We'll discuss that later. Katie will take the spring and summer off dance. She will be busy enough without it, and "real" ballet doesn't begin until age 7.
We are trying not to have more than two evenings a week with activities. (Not easy, but possible) August has nightly homework now and I like them to have some time every day to play at home and just relax. Katie and August are both avid artists, but Katie is more particular about it. August draws to tell a story, only the minimal amount required to communicate his message. Katie takes time to add flourishes and detail, particularly bows and eyelashes on all the "girls" and tends toward more realism.
Bret continues to work hard and receive recognition at work. He seems to love his job while also experiencing some frustration there. Often cultural differences impact communication and cause mis-communication. Generally, though he seems happy and content, although lately somewhat overworked. :-)
I am content too. I am busy with kids and home, yard and garden (soon) and with keeping the lines of communication open. I spend about an hour a day on the computer, checking and sending email. This is fun for me! I also still volunteer at the kids' school weekly and enjoy occasional lunches with them at the school. (The school is open to parents to join their children for lunch. The child is able to invite some friends from their class to join them.) I've been baking bread again (haven't done this much since Labrador), making my own granola, shopping, and cleaning (with minimal enthusiasm). I'm looking forward to spending some time travelling this year. We are also hoping to do some camping this summer. Some friends have done some winter camping--I prefer the summer kind, especially if there are warm showers! ;-)