Thankful Tuesday

1. It was snowing today (on April 17!), but we did enjoy gorgeous weather (up to the low 80's) on Friday and Saturday. The grass has turned green, some flowers have bloomed, and some trees have budded. Spring is coming even if it still feels like winter! Chen (a Chinese student in one of my classes) told me that in China she was used to experiencing four seasons, and in Bloomsburg she feels like we only have two seasons (summer and winter).

2. We really enjoyed reading the Bark of the Bog Owl. We give it two thumbs up! The story is similar to that of David (in the Bible). It's the first book in the Wilderking trilogy. I picked up the third book today (by interlibrary loan) at the university today; I had requested books two and three last week. We can't wait until the second books arrives! Since we enjoyed the movie Wonder we've started listening to the book on CD. Nadia isn't usually a fan of long drives, and our trip to Fort Ligonier will take three hours (each way) tomorrow, but she's actually looking forward to the drive as she wants to keep listening to the book.

3. The kids enjoyed the Saturday Science program on simple machines at Susquehanna University, and we all enjoyed the Wizard of Oz performance on Sunday afternoon.

4. After a several week break, the homeschool gym class resumed on Friday, and it was nice enough for them to go outside.

5. The kids and I took the van to Walmart for an oil change and two new tires yesterday. We shopped a little and then walked to the Perkins across from Walmart for dinner. I had a coupon for a free dinner. If I had my total choice, I would have picked one of the seasonal (fresh strawberry) menu items, but the reason we went was I had a coupon for a free meal (one particular entrée). We hadn't been to Perkins in one year so the kids were very happy that we went.

6. Ian is enjoying reading A Bear Called Paddington right now after finishing all 21 books in the Imaginations Station series.

7. I enjoy teaching the 1st/2nd grade girl's Sunday School class once a month. I'll be teaching more regularly in the summer. We all enjoyed the monthly lunch for the children's workers on Sunday.

8. Paul isn't home yet (and it's 8pm), but it's because he's finishing the cars for AWANA as far as getting the wheels on and making sure they are the proper weights. I think this will be the first year we had our cars done on time (they are due tomorrow night). I'm not a fan of waiting until the last minute, but I'm thankful we made the deadline this year! We have a piano, pencil, and Batmobile this year.

9. There are exactly 3 weeks left of school in terms of the days I'll be driving to a school district or the university. The kids just have 9 more trips to the babysitter's house. The end is in sight! I am less overwhelmed at the moment as I have been getting a bit farther ahead with the student teaching evaluations than I did in the first half of the semester.