These are a few of the trees along the walk we take the girls to school each morning. The colors are so very impressive! I am guessing that the beauty will be stripped away with the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Sandy on the east coast.
We left Minnesota exactly 4 months ago. We left Minnesota very anxious and full of uncertainty of whether or not we were making the right choice of moving the entire family for one year was a good idea.
Well, I guess I would like to give a sort of "state of the Miedemas'" address.
Carter: Carter has officially grown up. He loves going to school and has big, mature thought running through his brain. He misses his best buddy Isaac next door and really wants to be with boys and his daddy. He wore his baseball pants most of the summer and now has moved on to football. He asks to play "running catch" over and over and falls almost every time even though most of the dives are unnecessary. He is starting a basketball camp and soccer camp next week and is really excited that he has a coach. His favorite toys continue to be batman, spiderman, imaginext guys, and legos. He loves watching Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, and Spiderman. He continues to be completely uninterested in writing, coloring, and drawing. We continue to struggle to have him stay in his bed every night so we have now started a chart for him to earn a Batman Castle with 20 stickers earned by stay in his bed all night. Carter has met a nice boy at church that he has a play date most Wednesday mornings. Carter has handled the move very very well, but does ask to go back to Minnesota about once per week. I just filled out registration for him to start kindergarten next year!!! Sniff.
Taylor: Taylor has grown in confidence and in stature. She gets mistaken for Hailey's twin sister frequently and it is not only because of her height but because she is able to keep up with the big kids with most everything. Her most favorite thing to do these days are hand stands, bridges, and cart wheels. Pretty much any open space is view as a chance for some type of gymnastic move. Taylor's biggest news is that her reading has just starting to take off in the past couple of weeks. She still does not love to read, but now at least it is no longer a struggle for her. She is doing really well at school and has made friends very easily. She is always full of fire and loves any type of competition from card games to races. She loves to be in charge and thrives when I can put her in charge of some sort of task around the house and is always able to complete it with confidence. She is very nervous about the hurricane. Taylor misses her best buddies Kylie and Jaclyn back home.
Hailey: Hailey has been blessed by a teacher this school year that loves literature, fun games, acting, and silliness. She has transitioned into the school with ease. We started piano lessons again here with a Russian woman that studied in Moscow. At first she hated lessons because they jumped a level in intensity but she now is very proud of some of the pieces that she struggled through and now has conquered. She also has taken up flute lessons through the school. She is in the very early stages with the flute and is easily frustrated. I personally quite thankful that it is a relatively quiet instrument.
Hailey has recently started reading the Harry Potter series which has resulted in late bedtimes. Her mind loves fantasy. Hailey is an excellent older sister and although she doesn't excel in taking responsibility of picking up or staying organized, she often is playing legos with Carter and putting on shows with Taylor with to me is invaluable!
Overall the kids have thrived with the move. I wonder sometimes if it would be different if we were not moving back. The kids are well aware of the fact that this is temporary and are certainly making the best of it!
Mike: Mike has been very pleased with all of his requirements and obligations thus far. The medical system and the resources available to him here are extremely impressive. His classes at the school of public health have been very enlightening and well staffed with great presentations. His research has been moving along very well. He has 5 papers sort of "in the works" right now and is also taking his cardiology board exam this coming Thursday and Friday. Next week he is presenting his research at the AHA convention out in LA.
Mike's biggest complaint here is the complexity of the logistics of getting from point A to B with transportation and parking. He also has filled out more paperwork than you could imagine for him to practice medicine here and acquire credentials for access.
Me: I would have to admit that I have handled to move with the least amount of grace in the family. I do a lot of worrying about the kids and their transitions that I forgot to worry about my own. My favorite times have been preparing for our visitors and then hosting them. I love feeling like we run a bed and breakfast out on the East Coast. The traveling and the sites that we have been able to see have been an incredible opportunity and I know that I will cherish the memories that we have made with our family.
Taylor: Taylor has grown in confidence and in stature. She gets mistaken for Hailey's twin sister frequently and it is not only because of her height but because she is able to keep up with the big kids with most everything. Her most favorite thing to do these days are hand stands, bridges, and cart wheels. Pretty much any open space is view as a chance for some type of gymnastic move. Taylor's biggest news is that her reading has just starting to take off in the past couple of weeks. She still does not love to read, but now at least it is no longer a struggle for her. She is doing really well at school and has made friends very easily. She is always full of fire and loves any type of competition from card games to races. She loves to be in charge and thrives when I can put her in charge of some sort of task around the house and is always able to complete it with confidence. She is very nervous about the hurricane. Taylor misses her best buddies Kylie and Jaclyn back home.
Hailey: Hailey has been blessed by a teacher this school year that loves literature, fun games, acting, and silliness. She has transitioned into the school with ease. We started piano lessons again here with a Russian woman that studied in Moscow. At first she hated lessons because they jumped a level in intensity but she now is very proud of some of the pieces that she struggled through and now has conquered. She also has taken up flute lessons through the school. She is in the very early stages with the flute and is easily frustrated. I personally quite thankful that it is a relatively quiet instrument.
Hailey has recently started reading the Harry Potter series which has resulted in late bedtimes. Her mind loves fantasy. Hailey is an excellent older sister and although she doesn't excel in taking responsibility of picking up or staying organized, she often is playing legos with Carter and putting on shows with Taylor with to me is invaluable!
Overall the kids have thrived with the move. I wonder sometimes if it would be different if we were not moving back. The kids are well aware of the fact that this is temporary and are certainly making the best of it!
Mike: Mike has been very pleased with all of his requirements and obligations thus far. The medical system and the resources available to him here are extremely impressive. His classes at the school of public health have been very enlightening and well staffed with great presentations. His research has been moving along very well. He has 5 papers sort of "in the works" right now and is also taking his cardiology board exam this coming Thursday and Friday. Next week he is presenting his research at the AHA convention out in LA.
Mike's biggest complaint here is the complexity of the logistics of getting from point A to B with transportation and parking. He also has filled out more paperwork than you could imagine for him to practice medicine here and acquire credentials for access.
Me: I would have to admit that I have handled to move with the least amount of grace in the family. I do a lot of worrying about the kids and their transitions that I forgot to worry about my own. My favorite times have been preparing for our visitors and then hosting them. I love feeling like we run a bed and breakfast out on the East Coast. The traveling and the sites that we have been able to see have been an incredible opportunity and I know that I will cherish the memories that we have made with our family.
