The Littles

I have less "littles" than "big kids" anymore. I would love one more "little kid"--a boy near Jasmine's age, but most of you know about our woes with the state of Florida, particularly our county. And about us losing the same child twice, 18 months apart and also two others because our county insists on other counties filling out paperwork in the wrong order and they won't do it.

None the less, I am thankful for the kids I have and will focus on them. I wouldn't mind if God dropped another child on our doorstep. I would do another adoption from Haiti, but it is so much paperwork and expense, they are still taking 3+ years if you have birth kids (no matter their ages). 

So, on to the littles already here.

Jasmine isn't really a "little," she's kind of in the middle. She has had a busy summer--a brief visit to Sea World and Disney. The cruise. St. Louis and the Christian book convention. Indiana. Three weeks of band camp (only 1 hr 15 minutes four mornings a week). She was supposed to have summer lessons but the teacher ended up being gone four weeks so summer lessons have just started.

Jasmine is returning to the charter school for sevnth grade. She tested into advanced band, and we are hoping that works into her schedule. She has intensive math, and intensive only meets at one time slot so everything else has to be planned around that.

She has no activities planned for the school year other than drum lessons. She has decided not to continue with sports. She doesn't truly enjoy them. She may do one dance class, though.

I am excited to see all that this year holds for her.

Kaleb is returning to the public school he's been at since kindergarten. He has had a fairly good summer. It's been a growing time for him. He was sharing a room with Adam, and Adam would often do his work for him because Kaleb would act like he didn't know how to do it. It was just easier in Adam's mind for him to do it. 

With Adam gone and Tyler leaving for work at 6:00 a.m. and not getting home until after 6:30 p.m. (off at 4:30, but catches the trolley home), Kaleb has been required to do more of the work--sweeping his room each day, making his own bed (things he should have already been doing) plus helping with drying the dishes in additon to his trash job. More jobs also means more allowance too, though.

Kaleb continues to be an amazing runner although we don't have any races until the Plains Peanut Festival at the end of September unless something comes up. That's the one where former President Carter gives out the trophies. We ran in it last year. We hadn't run in it since moving to FL in 2004, so it was the twins first time.

Kayla has been having a good summer. She's done really well with behaviors and following rules other than the water incidents from soccer camp. She hasn't taken to swimming as much as the others, but perhaps next summer she'll just take off on swimming. We still have a few times left to go to the pool this summer, but the start of school is coming quickly. Two weeks from today (Tuesday).

We do not know yet where Kayla will go to school. She has been #1 on the third grade waiting list for the charter school since the school lottery last February. We are almost ready to start school and not one slot has opened up. That is very unusual for our area. The year Jasmine was going into 5th grade, she was 43rd on the list and made it in. The other branch of this school had opened and some parents put their children's names on both list so had to choose if their name was drawn by both schools.

If a child doesn't show up on the first day of school, they are dropped so Kayla might start there shortly after school starts.

There's a lot of unknows all around this fall, but we'll know more once  school begins, soccer sign takes place and the dance schedule is posted.