I Guess It's My Turn...

Bevan has been doing most(and/or all) of the sparse postings that we have been making lately, so I guess I should just do a quickie update to let you know what else has been going on aside from his (justifiably exciting) trip to Paris.

Liam has been attending five morning a week preschool from 9 till 1 p.m. It has been a big transition for him going from two mornings a week to five but he has done very well with it and enjoys a structured schedhule. This year there has been a very strong focus on pre-academics (as opposed to the play and learn approach last year)as there is a big push to have the children prepared for the rigors of kindergarten (which apparently is very rigorous these days). I wondered how he would handle this but has actually been very sucessful with letter recognition and beggining reading and spelling...we were all very proud when he came home able to write his name! He also enjoyed playing soccer on a team for the first time.

Asher is enjoying preschool as well this year since he is such a social guy! His age group mostly participates in structured group play so nothing to demanding, just lots of fun. I have been one of his co-teachers this year which has actually gone well. He mostly just ignores that I am there unless he gets hurt in which case he appreciates having me there for a quick cuddle. He is speaking very well and is a good little communicator.

Bevan of course has been very busy...HE WILL BE FINISHED HIS MASTER'S PROGRAM IN LESS THAN A MONTH!!I can't believe he's almost done! He received an offer letter for full time employment with the firm he interned with over the summer in August which he accepted. They have let him work during the fall as well and were flexible with his school schedhule which we really appreciated. In addition to the Paris school trip he also went on some business trips to such exciting locations as...Wisconsin, Charlotte, Buffalo and Indiana?? (I lose track). He finished the CPA review program he has been taking for the past six months every Saturday for 8 hours last weekend. This has been very effective in preparing for the CPA exam but has been a huge time sacrifice for our family. There weren't any family vacations this summer as a result but I am sure the pay off will be worth it. He has taken the first two parts of the exam already and has two more schedhuled to go. We will get the results most likley at the end of December, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

My routine has pretty much been the same old...except for that the past couple of months I have been working five mornings a week instead of two at the preschool as I have been filling in for a lady who was out for knee surgery. This has really been exhausting for me, but was a good opportunity to make some extra tuition money! (Asher was also very cooperative about going to school five mornings a week while I was subbing) Being Young Women's President has also proven to be challenging in ways I never imagined...but in a good way, there have been many growth opportunities and I never cease to be amazed that the program still functions even though it's me who's responsible. Getting to know all the girls and thier families has also been a great privelidge for me. Anyhow we are busy but well!! Take Care!

Old Pots and Pans

This was made out of old pots and pans. The heel of the shoe is a bunch of pots on top of each other that happen to be just a little smaller than the next one. The top is mad of the lids of the pans. It was pretty cool, but not as cool as the bear.

I mean seriously, this bear is hilarious. At first we didn't understand what it was, but then realized, that when it rains, the funnel will collect the water and the deer has something to drink. These were on the grounds of the Lourve. Which means, they just didn't quite measure up to the kind of works inside the Lourve. The bear and dear remind of those terrible sculptures that you see downtown that look like nothing, but some "artist" got paid $3,000 to support his cocaine habit. Whoever built this, must have 15/3, net 60 terms with his drug dealer.

Notre Dame

This is a wood carving. There are many scenes from the Four Gospels in the Cathedral.

I like this one because it has the net cast. I beleive it is Peter who has his hand on the boat, and Jesus who is talking to him.

The boat is supported by a ton of fish, and Jesus is asking Peter to become a "fisher of men."

Overall, just a very good carving.

The next one is of Jesus riding triumphantly into Jeruselum and the little man in the tree is Zacchaeus.

I was glad to see that whoever carved this knew that this was an important story to tell. When Zacchaeus is told that Jesus will abide in his home, he promises to donante half his wealth and return 4 times any amount he ever cheated. For this the Savior promises the blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant.

We are Sharks

Liam is a Shark. This is his team.

He kicked the ball,

smirked at the referree,

and got a trophy.

Amanda signed him up and drove him to all the practices and games by herself because I was always in CPA Review. We are so excited to keep Liam in soccer for the next 14 years.

Champ

Believe it or not, when we were driving through this traffic, we made it all the way to the Arc from this point in about 2 minutes. Take notes America, this is how we need to drive.