July 26, 2005
All my recent posts have been about our house and moving. Thought I'd post a quick update about the kids and our summer.
The kids are very pleased to have opened their first bank accounts. Damien and I just changed banks from a large national bank to a small local bank. These are very common in the States. The kids opened their first accounts at this new bank and are accepting all and any donations to the cause! Laurent especially is very keen on this idea. He loves getting out his passbook and looking at it. He wants to go the bank everyday, I think he assumes that if we go he can deposit more money but he doesn't have any more to deposit. When the teller at the bank asked what he was saving for he said "clothes for when I get older". So it looks like we have a very responsible young man, either that or he plans on wearing designer labels. Laurent is enjoying his new room by himself. I thought he'd be lonely but he loves it and especially appreciates the quiet - Brienne can be a screamer at times and he loves being one room removed from that! Laurent loves riding his bike and is chomping at the bit to ride a two wheeler (he turned 4 in Feb). Brienne meanwhile is chomping at the bit to ride Laurent's bike - she can't even reach the pedals. And Celine pretty much refuses to ride her new birthday bike prefering Brienne's tricycle.
Celine is enjoying having her best friend Sage visit once a week during the summer. One day a week she comes over for the day (a break from day care and nice playdate with Celine). The real bonus is that I get a nice visit with her mom (my best friend) when she comes to pick her up. Celine and I then get to see our friends on Wednesdays as well. My friend has Wed. afternoon's off and we spend this time together - at their pool or visiting other friend's pools as we did last week. The weather here as been hot, humid and just plain vacationlike. I still associate the summers in Maine with vacation because the only time I experienced heat like this as a child growing up in Alberta was on summer vacations in central BC and select times in Manitoba. We are all getting nice tans, except Daddy who works at a desk all day. I call my kids "brown berries". Celine's hair gets blonder and she looks like a bronzed California girl. Although we are not doing "school" at all Celine just continues to learn. She is reading more and more even though we stopped our formal reading instruction before Christmas. Dang it, we just can't stop her from learning! I think it's just crazy when people talk about getting kids excited to learn. Good grief! Kids love learning - they're wired to learn. I can't imagine trying to make learning fun for them. Ok, I've stepped off my relaxed homeschooling soapbox. So, Celine is busy reading- the cereal box, labels etc..., writing books - mostly with pictures about horses and princesses, sewing - she loves to do crafty stuff and sewed a lovely purse recently, playing dress up and of course spending lots of time outdoors pretending to be a horse (she can gallop and neigh like the real thing). Our tenants have 2 girls - 5 & 6 years old, instant playmates for Celine. Poor Laurent totally surrounded by girls.
Brienne continues to exasperate and amuse us. Discipline has been pretty loose during the past 4 weeks of our move. And with this girl if you give her an inch... So, we find ourselves trying to pull back on the reigns again, re-establishing boundaries etc... So, that's been a bit challenging and yet at the same time Brienne gives me so much delight and joy. She is very good at talking, telling stories, telling jokes (well not good jokes). My favorite time with her is at bedtime when we snuggle all our kids individually before they go to sleep. They each get one on one time with mommy & daddy. This is when she tells me stories about the day or a movie the kids recently watched. And then she laughs at the story she's told. I also love it when she comes up to me out of the blue "Mommy I gotta tell you something.... I love you!" She eagerly follows both Celine and Laurent's footsteps. She daring and adventure seeking like Laurent but a princess like Celine. Unfortunately for Brienne her current favorite dress is long sleeved purple velour - and she insists on wearing it in humid 30C weather! Her other latest "thing" is combing her hair. All day she walks around with a comb in hand or looking for her lost comb. Meanwhile there's not a comb to be found when mom wants to do her hair. Brienne's hair has never been so well groomed. This is a long way from her previous bed head look. On another note, I think Brienne is now truly weaning. I've been talking about it for a year now but I think this is it. The past couple weeks our daily schedule has gotten pretty messed up. Late nights, late mornings, no naps etc.. So that Brienne and I have gotten out of the routine of rocking and nursing before afternoon nap. She nursed a couple days ago, before bedtime but I think we are near the end.
So, beyond our new house and recent move I am a proud mother of 3 gorgeous, energetic & bright children (I'm bragging). I'm ashamed to say I don't have any recent pics - all my photos have been of the house. I'll take some soon and post them. I'm living in vacationland - and loving it, even if I haven't had time this summer to get out as much as I'd like. And on top of this I have wonderful friendships & family life. Yes, life is good and I have much to be thankful for.
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becky on July 26, 2005, 1:53 p.m.
Renee, I'm so sad to be missing your babies grow up! Your blog brought me right to Maine, thankyou for sharing the way you do. It's so wonderful to hear how Celine, Laurent and Brienne love to learn, play and bless their parents each day! Kids are such a blessing and joy! Keep up the great job raising you beautiful/handsome babes!