Week in review

We have had a great week--although it seems like I have spent most of it in the car transporting kids. I have a feeling that sentiment is only going to increase as my kids get older!

Monday started off with a bang. Or a crash. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Which words come to your mind?

I was unloading the groceries and the kids and Lincoln insisted that he wanted to get out of the car himself. So I unbuckled him and left the car door open while I took a load of groceries in. I suddenly heard the garage door close and realized that instead of climbing out of the car, Lincoln had climbed into the front seat and pushed the garage door opener. I ran into the garage and sighed with relief when I realized that the garage door had not damaged the open tailgate. I saw Lincoln reach for the opener again and yelled, "Stop! No!" which, for some reason he interpreted as, "Push the button again!" So he did. And this time I heard the sickening sound of shattering glass. He completely obliterated the entire back windshield of our car. I about burst into tears. I spent an hour cleaning up glass and didn't even come close to getting it all. Then I opened the rest of the tailgate to get the groceries and half of them fell out onto the driveway--so I also got to clean up broken eggs and spilled soda. NOT A GOOD DAY. Luckily we were able to find someone to come fix it that day--to the tune of $323.00. Lincoln still apologizes for breaking the window daily.

Isaac spent the week at a special summer program for gifted and talented kids. It is a "by invitation only" kind of thing, and quite pricey, but I am so glad we did it. He took a class on Cryptography--the art of codes. Isaac showed a bit of an underachiever side at school this year and it bugged me so much because I know what he is capable of. But when it comes down to it, I think he is really bored with school, so he just rushes through it to get done so that he can do something that interests him--like read. It was so incredibly beneficial for him to spend this week surrounded by kids like him in a classroom setting that was interesting and also challenging. I wish I had splurged for 2 classes. We will start saving now so that he can do two next summer. He just flourished in this class and his teacher raved about him. I'm not trying to brag--he is who he is and it has nothing to do with me--I'm just so proud of him. Here is some of what the teacher wrote on his evaluation sheet:

"Isaac's ability to find patterns and relationships in each code system was outstanding! He is a thinker of the highest order... Isaac's mind was constantly a buzz with trying out new applications within each code. He made some amazingly insightful discoveries about connections within a code and between codes... I am simply awed by his willingness to dive into complex problems and work them out. "

Lincoln and I got to go see his presentation this morning and hear all about some of the top secret codes he learned.

The girls also had a great week--they got to go to an art camp with some of their friends. It was run by a local church, and unlike Isaac's class, was totally free! They spent their mornings painting, weaving, coloring, crafting, beading, stamping and making sand art. They were in heaven. They became particularly attached to one of the teenage camp counselors to the point that they both sobbed all the way home from camp today because they are never going to see Alex again.

Another event this week: I quit my job. I will really miss the people I work with, but our evenings are getting so busy (and will just get busier as the kids get older!), I just feel like I need to be with my family. I have been assured I can go back whenever I want, and I definitely think I will want to once Lincoln is in school and I can work days.

Well, believe it or not, we only have one full week of summer vacation left! The kids start back on July 6th and they will all be gone all day! I'm really not sure what Lincoln and I are going to do with ourselves!!!