Tori and I (Kelly) just completed our first week of first grade. We have had so much fun. There is so much more material to cover in first grade and so we are getting use to a longer school day. We start at 8:15 and finish around 1:00. That is the plan and we were able to keep to it 4 of the 5 days this week. Normally, my house help and good friend Laurance is here to help me with the other children and keep my house in order. However, this week due to taking care of her very sick mother, she has been unable to come to work at my house. Whenever she returns I am thinking of doubling her pay!!! I am so thankful for Tori’s abundant energy and enthusiasm for school because I know this provided her with needed endurance and flexibility as we did school and at times entertained little ones.
When Tori and I go to school we play a game that Tori seems to really enjoy. She does not want to call me Mom. I am her Teacher. This is especially thrilling for me as her Mom, because she talks to me about her family and her thoughts about how and where her family lives and her various thoughts about different aspects of her life as if I were someone other than her mother. Our day begins with getting ready for school and when it is time to go, I kiss her goodbye and she walks out the door. She then either walks or rides her bike around the house and comes to the schoolroom door. As she has circled the house, I have gone on to the schoolroom so I can then greet her as the Teacher when she arrives. After our initial greetings, we begin with the pledge of allegiance and prayer. Last year when we were in America, for a brief time Tori attended Fort Worth Christian. Apparently each morning after saying the pledge, they would alternate singing God Bless America one day and the FWC school song the next……………so we are finding ourselves doing the same thing! As a very loyal and proud FWC alumnus, this is a very tender thing to me to hear Tori sing the school song and it also helps us feel connected to the special friends that we made there last year. We pretend that our school is the Benin branch of Fort Worth Christian!
Our curriculum includes the subjects of Bible, Spelling, Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, and Penmanship. We are using a Christian curriculum and we are so blessed as we are finding ourselves in the Word all day long. This is a quality time with Tori that I truly treasure right now. I am a blessed mother and teacher!
Once we have finished school we return home and every minute has been filled with feeding two babies, playing with Timothy, preparing meals for the family, laundry, washing bottles and dishes, greeting and spending time with our African friends, and practicing reading with Tori. No naps this week! I have missed having a helping hand in Laurance and I am hoping that she will be returning soon. Randy has been a wonderful help when he has been available and yet he has maintained a very busy schedule as well with the churches this week (I know you will be hearing more about that soon in a post in the next day or two!)
- Kelly
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3 comments:
Hey guys-
Nice to see the blog back up, even if Donny did get the credit for giving you guys the hint. Anyway, it is fun to read about your daily life over there. Sounds like things are going well. It is fun to have a blog and know that you guys can check out pictures of the girls whenever the mood strikes. Just a heads up, the next set of pics is going to include one or two that I took of Bailey "feeding" her baby. Brylee has been a blessing on all fronts. Ever since her arrival Bailey's baby has stopped taking a bottle and has really taken to the breast, the downside is that Bailey has to burp her much more often. It is really cute.
Kelly,
I love hearing about you and Tori's school days. These are awesome treasures in the Lord!
Love Ya,
Julie
Kelly,
What a sweet picture -- Tori circling the house and you having time to go to the schoolroom - -just in time to greet her as the teacher! This really made me smile.
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