Awesome kids

We have had some really awesome kids for the past full day. They have been behaving wonderfully! It's been really, really impressive. Yesterday, Tai and I got to take an hour long nap, and watch a long movie, mostly without interruption. We went to the playground and the kids did great there, too. Including getting in the car when it was time to go home! This is terrific! We sent our oldest downstairs last night to our neighbor's house, and brought their youngest up here to play with P. They all got along great. We got to sleep in this morning without kids banging on the door or yelling and screaming for attention. I had almost forgotten what it was like to wake up on my own - without the kids or the alarm clock doing it for me. LOL

I've been majorly impressed with P's language skills lately. His vocabulary is just growing by leaps and bounds lately. This past month in particular. He's using words like, "impressive" and "acceptable" - and he's using them correctly. This is the same kid who didn't speak until he was nearly three, then took almost a year off from speaking...so for him to suddenly use "big" words at age five is good stuff. We've also figured out a way to help him count - it used to be 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8...yet he could count 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28...sooooo I figured out it's a tempo thing. If we say, "and a 1, and a 2, and a 3, and a 4, and a 5, and a 6, and a 7, and an 8..." he gets them right every time! Woohoo!

D is becoming quite proficient in her shapes and colors. She's got nearly 15 shapes down, and almost as many colors. We keep adding new shapes and colors (most recently clover, octagon, peach, and teal) to her "homework" pages to keep her interested. Her attention span is amazing. She will sit and do "homework" for an hour at a time, without getting antsy or bored. She's THREE! That's not supposed to happen! LOL

A, of course got his straight A's for the quarter. We really should be studying for the SOL's (Standards of Learning tests), but he generally tests well, so we haven't thought about it too much. Shame on us. We have been working on his multiplication facts. He knows them, but he doesn't know them quickly. So we're using timed tests to help him improve. He started out with answering 40% correctly in two minutes. He's up to a consistent 80-90% now. We're using 20 problems in two minutes. Figure that's fair. The ones he answers, he gets right...it's just a matter of getting them finished that is the problem. He's getting there!

Ok, now that I have my computer and my apartment back, I'm probably rambling while I bask in the happiness. I'll stop for now. ;o)