Another Year

It has been a year since I wrote anything on here. That is so sad. My intention with this was to remember all the moments, but clearly I'll have lost some. But a quick recollection of the past year:

1. E2 turned 5. He got a new bike for his birthday. He learned to ride his bike without training wheels, begrudgingly. He played soccer again, but this time got to have our friend, H, on his team with him. He protected her whenever her could! He started Kindergarten.At the moment, he doesn't really like school. He sees the world in black and white, and he has trouble with the blurred lines of grey; consequently, he is easily upset by the bad behaviour of others. We've had tears and sadness. Trying to work through it and figure out the best solution for him. He makes my heart hurt in ways I never knew it could, and yet he brings me more joy than should be possible. He is my cuddler and my coffee buddy. His favourite thing is a coffee date to the Copper Cup with mom. Love that kid.
2. E1 turned 7. She got a Target version of an American Girl doll--a Juliet Our Generation doll. She was thrilled beyond belief. She doesn't know it yet, but she is getting a real American Girl doll for Christmas from her Nana and her Aunties in England. She also started piano lessons and has done very well. Her teacher says she's her favourite student. She started first grade, but I wonder if I should have started her in Kindergarten at 5 like they wanted instead of keeping her. I'm happy with the group of kids she's with, but she is ahead of them. They have moved her to a second grade reading group, but even there she's at the top. I don't know if she'll stay ahead, or if she's just momentarily ahead. We'll see. She LOVES to read, and can easily (with enough time) read books at the fourth grade level. Conferences are next week, so we'll see what the teachers say.
3. E3 turned 2. She has been potty trained basically since last Christmas, but not to a point of trustworthiness. Now she rarely has accidents during the day. Still have her in nappies at night, but I need to work at getting her out of them so we don't continue with problems as she gets older. She is hilarious. I was reading back through the list of words she knew last year. I can't even begin to count her words this year. She speaks perfectly. At the moment, her favourite word is "actually." She loves playing with E1's dollhouse stuff and the toy kitchen. She also loves her baby dolls. She loves reading books and snuggling, but she is constantly on the go. Can't imagine the quiet we would have without her. God provided us with the perfect last child. She'll keep us on our toes for a long time to come.
4. We made a trip up to Minneapolis and got to see some new things. We went to the Children's Museum, the zoo, and the MOA, but we also went to the Science Museum this time. Great time.
5. We discovered the Kirby Science Center in Sioux Falls and had a blast there.
6. We made several trips to Omaha for different occasions, such as member days at the Safari Park and the opening of Sue at the Durham. We got to enjoy member-only breakfast at the SAS Museum and see the Math Alive exhibit first. We also recently did trick or treat night at the Zoo, which was neat.
7. We went to England. It was awesome. Wish we lived closer. We had a horrible journey over, delays and rerouting through Paris, but we still got there.
8. Today is 29 years. I miss my mom.