Phew, I haven't sent out an update since last September ... I guess we
were just busy! Now that school is out, we can relax and slow down the
pace a little bit. Samantha's last day of school was last Wednesday,
June 5th. She received her final first grade report card on that day
and was promoted to second grade for next year. I am happy (and just a
little tiny bit proud) to report that she got all perfect marks with
only one exception. Her score on "Puts Forth Best Effort" dropped from
"Consistently Observed Behavior" to "Progressing Behavior". I think
that perhaps spring fever took hold near the end of the school year.
She even got a "Consistently Observed Behavior" mark on "Participates in
Class activities" which is quite a coup for my extremely shy Samantha.
At our last parent teacher conference, I asked the teacher how she was
doing in class participation and her teacher said that she was doing
much better. I mentioned that Samantha seemed more comfortable at
school now. Her teacher said that yes, most of the students were now
too comfortable at school and had entered the "Mommy zone" ... meaning
that the students were so comfortable at school with the teacher that
she was beginning to see behaviors that would normally only be exhibited
at home.
Samantha has a new look as she recently got her hair cut really short.
Check out the pictures at
http://www.oocities.org/stephen_reeve/Family/2002/pics02may.htm
Everyone keeps telling her that it looks really great. The day after
she got it cut, I asked her if her classmates had noticed her new
haircut. She told me "yes, everyone keeps stopping me and telling me
that it looks great. I wish they would just stop, it embarrasses me".
Samantha and Christopher started swimming lessons last week. This is
Christopher's first experience with swimming lessons where neither Mommy
nor Daddy get in the pool with him. Christopher, who last summer would
walk to the edge of the pool and jump in (whether you were looking or
not) and come up spluttering and laughing when you pulled him out is
afraid of the water this summer. On his first day of swimming lessons,
he refused to get into the pool. Then, when the teacher finally got him
to sit on the top step of the steps into the pool, he got put in time
out because he wouldn't stop splashing her (aarrgghh!) He was starting
to do better getting into the pool until he went to lessons today and
once again refused to get any further in than the first step. When the
lessons were over I asked him why he wouldn't get in the water. I told
him that Miss Vickie (his teacher) would not let anything happen to him
in the water. After the whole long dissertation on why he should not be
afraid, he told me that he didn't get in because it was too cold. It
rained yesterday and it was heavy overcast this morning, so it was a
little cooler than normal. Hopefully, it will be warmer tomorrow so
that he will get in the water!! (My observation: only a Southern child
would say that it was too cold to get in the water when it is above 80
outside!!)
I decided that Samantha and Christopher were watching too much
television, and that I was using the television as a baby-sitter much
too often. So, I went out and bought a package of poker chips. On
Sunday, I put a basket by the television and put 10 red chips for
Christopher and 10 blue chips for Samantha in the basket. Every time
either one of the kids wants to watch a tv show or a video, they have to
give me one of their chips. I told Samantha that she was on her honor
to use chips for shows that she watches in the morning before anyone
else gets up. Funny, Samantha slept in this morning (she usually gets
up really early to watch cartoons!). Also, we have solved the problem
of who gets to sit in the prized position on the end of the sofa closest
to the television ... the one who "paid" for the show with their chip.
Christopher obviously has no idea of budgeting. Stephen and I have
predicted that he will be out of chips by Wednesday (it is Monday
afternoon, and he has already used up 4 of his 10)... that is when it
will get interesting because then he will have to wait until Sunday
comes around again to get more chips.
Stephen is still working at Motorola. The deadlines on his projects ebb
and flow, so he alternates between either working 40 hours a week or
coming home to have supper with us, give the kids a bath, and then going
back to work until all hours of the night. He plays soccer with the
guys from work two days a week. Some of the young guys at work are
amazed that an old man like him can still beat them to the ball.
I am still doing the "mom" thing. I was Samantha's Brownie Girl Scout
leader this past year and am planning to do it again next year. Even an
old woman (I turned 40 last month) like me can still have a good time
and being a Girl Scout Leader is a lot of fun. Two days after school
let out, we took the troop to Schlitterbahn Water Park for the day. I
think it is safe for me to say that a good time was had by all. I've
also started playing tennis again. I jumped in with both feet and
signed on to a team in the USTA league. The first night of practice
was just awful. I didn't know anyone else on the team and I couldn't
hit a ball straight for anything. Fortunately, the other ladies didn't
kick me off the team and I've polished some of the rust off of my tennis
skills. We had our last regular season match on Saturday. Since we won
the weekend ladies 3.0 league, we will have a playoff with the weekday
ladies 3.0 league to see who will get to represent Austin in the
sectionals. Unfortunately for me, the playoff lands on the same day as
my brother-in-law, Brett's, wedding. My team will just have to play
without me! At my last match, Stephen brought Samantha and Christopher
and they all watched me play. It turned out to be my longest match, so
the kids got bored. Stephen had them doing "the wave", which cracked
everyone up. But, since we played so long, and it was so hot (a 12:00
noon match on June 8th in Austin is never a COOL thing), Samantha and
Christopher ended up being "gophers" for more ice and water for all of
the ladies playing on the court.
Speaking of weddings, my brother-in-law, Brett, is getting married on
June 29th. Christopher (age 3 years and 5 months) will be the ring
bearer. Stephen and Christopher went and got measured for tuxes the day
that Samantha and I went to Schlitterbahn. The store where they got
measured doesn't carry a tux small enough for Christopher. Hopefully
the store in Arlington does! I am already crossing my fingers and
hoping that Christopher won't go all shy on us at the wedding and refuse
to walk down the aisle. I'll let you know after the big event ... and
don't worry, Brett is smart enough to not give the real rings to a 3
year old.
I'll apologize now for any typos ... if I take the time now to go back
and proof this e-mail, it will never get sent. Have a good day!
- Tana Reeve
(a.k.a. Samantha's Mommy
a.k.a. Christopher's Mommy)