Elea is officially seven. She is missing a plethora of teeth, which makes her that much cuter. She has grown so much in the past year. She loves to read and write, recently she's started a diary and a daily calendar where she writes down all her events and does a daily reflection. She still is bursting with energy and creativity. She's such a leader and has a really big heart, she's friends with everyone.
Somehow my babies are growing up, it's hit me suddenly this past month as I've been solo parenting with Jess in the US for work. All the little things they do seem so big now. Reading. Family contributions. Their conversations and questions. How independent they are. Watching them play sports. Each day they blow my mind and I am eternally grateful I get to be there mom.
As the tradition continues I sat down with each of them and asked them the same questions as I did in 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and last year in 2021-2022.
Elea: Kindergarten
.png)
.png)
I don't know where the summer went, seriously. Between flying back to India to run the summer program midway through our Scott family beach vacation, COVID for the family (minus me!), a weird bacteria bout of throw-up for the kids, a canceled trip to Guatemala to see dear friends with my MIL, a surprise trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg with Mimi, and ending my time in the US with stitches for Elea. This summer was surely eventful and also taught us not to cling too tightly to our plans since God's plan is best (even if I'm not happy about it!).
 |
| Yesterday they went to meet their teachers (check out our awesome friend Scott with the photobomb) |
Today is the first day of school for the kids, I've been back for some time, but today they woke up a Kindergartener and 2nd grader. The morning went smoothly with us having to wake them up, thankfully outfits were picked last night and the jitter glitter Elea's teacher gave her worked (in her mind) as she wasn't nervous and actually excited.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
It's school picture time again, which means the same old questions with different answers as our littles grow and change their minds. It also means I buy a cute dang picture for the sake of memory and tradition.
After I asked the kids the questions I showed them their old videos (check out the 2020-21 and 2019-20 videos) and they laughed hysterically. It's funny how their little personalities showed so much in each 'interview'.
Elea--PreK4 at AES New Delhi, India
Tae--Grade 1 at AES New Delhi, India
Our sweet and determined girl turned 5. I love watching her grow into herself, she is kind, creative, curious, and adventurous. She loves being fancy (make up included) and changes about ten times a day. She's focused and loves a challenge-particularly monkey bars and perfecting a cartwheel. She shares her opinion freely and is learning when to push and when to give in, it's a fine line we are all learning. She's happy in her room crafting, listening to music, and telling stories.
 |
| Showing off her new leotard. |
 |
| 4th birthday in Lisbon, Portugal (2021) |
 |
| 3rd Birthday in Phuket, Thailand (2020) |
 |
| 2nd Birthday in Shenzhen, China (2019) |
 |
| First birthday in Shenzhen, China (2018) |
 |
| Welcome to the World in Campinas, Brazil (2017) |
We've been spending a lot of time together the past month, who am I kidding the past year. I've fallen in love with the little moments with Tae and Elea. I love watching how they observe the world and make meaning of everything. Here a few of my favorite things they've said recently:
The other day at lunch (perk of online learning, getting to eat lunch as family) Tae said the prayer and just went into a conversation with God asking so many questions about different animals and then followed it up with, "I can't wait to ask you more when I see you in heaven."
Elea: "The world is full of beautiful things. And handsome things too."
We watched Happy Feet for movie night. It is such a great movie about kindness, acceptance, and being proud of who you are. However, there was a sad part where Mumble was forced to leave his penguin crew and Tae was bawling over it. He was so upset at how mean they were being to him. It broke my mama heart while simultaneously making me proud of what a caring kid Tae is.
How in the world is my baby girl 4? It seems like just yesterday she was turning one year old and now she is almost 5! Elea, strong girl, you are so much fun. You make each day an adventure and we thank God every day for you. For posterity's sake, here's what you're loving, hating, and doing nowadays.
Likes:
The first day of school is in the books. Elea is in K3 and Tae is in Kindergarten. They are in a multi-aged classroom, which helped make the first day back in a school building after 6 months a bit easier for both of them. Their teachers are fantastic, we've really lucked out with so many wonderful teachers in their first years of school. I'm excited to see how much they learn and how confident they feel in June!
It's my first year as principal and it's been a constant game of learning. I figure if I can lead a start-up school in the middle of a pandemic than next year has to be easier, right? In all honesty, I feel so thankful for this opportunity and that my kids get to go to such a great school. Not many parents get to give their kids hugs throughout the day.
