Freezing Cold

We woke up this morning to ice on the roof! It will be another beautiful fall day. Finished up the last round of sawdust bricks yesterday. I need to remember to bring them inside around dinner time as the rain is on its way.

The girls got in trouble this week for saying naughty things at school. Poop and monkey butts. We heard it from Naomi's friend who was defending them - she said those girls would never say such things. But they did.

Friday afternoon we had our first gym afternoon at school. Nice way to end the week. A few teachers just play some sports together in the gym. I figured out what has been bothering me about our school. It is like a school on ADHD. Lots of energy but no focus. Kind of irritating to work in such an environment, but I do like it there.

Fall is Here

Strangely enough, the fall weather came right at the equinox this year. It went from warm and sunny to cold and rainy overnight with a lot of wind. Hopefully tomorrow I can crank out another batch of bricks, but this weekend has been too yucky. We were hoping to go for a picnic today, but the idea of sitting in front of a fire sounds a whole lot nicer!

The girls had their first evaluation at school this week. I had to work, so Naomi went to talk to their teacher. They are both doing really well. A bit shy at times, but not to the point where it is a problem. Amélie loves to climb and doesn't bother with the activities that don't interest her. Abigail tries hard at everything, and her teacher said she is already two years ahead academically. We are really happy with the school so far!

I have been feeling really tired this month. I figured I would have more energy since the fall is my favorite time of year, but, oh well. Good thing I brought back lots of good books to read! Speaking of good books, I am finishing up with the re-write of the novel. It will be nice if I can get a bit of feedback on it before polishing it up a bit...

Sawdust Bricks

Must be Fall. Finally got around to mixing up the first batch of sawdust bricks! The weather is supposed to be nice and sunny for a few days, so they will have a good chance to dry out. Lots of other things to do this weekend too. Got a haircut, need to clean out the pond, and wash the car.

Naomi is going to visit her family, so she didn't sleep well again. She will take Amélie and I will go to the Bosrand with Abigail. Important to split them up from time to time. Abigail especially has needed some time away from her sister this week. Not sure if they will have two classes at their school or not, but if they do, might be a good idea to split them up...

Work was pretty uneventful this week. Got to leave early on Friday which was nice. I think we will try to set up a gym session on Friday afternoons which would be fun! It is nice not having any deadlines for my business. I have been really tired lately, so working on the novel a bit more and some extra rest really helps.

Our Sunday mornings at the Bosrand.

The first batch of sawdust bricks!

The Love of School

The girls are having so much fun! Weekends are not a break for them so much as a time that they can't have fun at school. At one point this week we were talking about things that die, and Abigail said, "after I die, I still want to go to school." I will have to remind her of this when she is fifteen...

Yesterday I went for the last bike ride in the forest. They are closing it. Kind of a strange concept to close a forest. Time for the deer and the other animals to get some peace and quiet. I guess all the airplanes don't bother them...?

This school week went pretty well. I had a bit of extra work time as some of my students went to school camp. Sure am glad I didn't have to go along for that!! I had to write up a little article about all the changes that we are making to the math program this year. Curious to see what kind of feedback we get...

At least you can tell they are twins when the sleep...

The last ride through the hills.

Back to School

The girls did great this week. Four half-days and one whole day. They had a lot of fun, and Abigail even said this morning that the weekend takes too long, she wants to go back! They have been climbing a lot there and we can see the difference. Really wish there was a place for Amélie to do some gymnastics!

My school had a rather unpleasant start. Our 28 year old gym teacher went to El Salvador on vacation and never came back. Car crash. Apart from all the sadness, it was a good start though. Looks like I will be busy with developing two subjects this year, math and science. That is a lot of work but I enjoy it. The people I have been working with so far are enthusiastic, so that is helpful.

At home, we got the swinging couch finished up! It is so comfortable that I had a lot of trouble getting out of it yesterday. Surprisingly comfortable. The wood was leftover from another project, cushions were saved by Naomi's Mom, and the climbing ropes came from Kalia. She even showed us how to tie the knots, and our friend Joost stopped by to help with the final install. Didn't need to buy much!

Came across an invasive species from America trying to cross the bike path at school...

Not quite as excited about the first day this time...

Co-napping.

The finished product.

The back left rope slipped a bit...

The cushions make it amazingly comfortable.

Whew, a lot of work!

Beautiful weather for the swinging couch!