and baby makes 6!

Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants

Now young Mr. Moon flew away in the night
With his best friend Magnus right by his side
They soared through the Milky Way counting the stars
Once around Venus, twice around Mars

Then they spied an island rise out of the sea
They fell back to Earth just as free as you please
The children all gathered the church bells did ring
Suddenly everyone started to sing

Chanson pour les petits enfants
Chason pour toute le monde
Chanson pour les petits enfants
Chanson pour toute le monde

Our new moto here is “Just another day in paradise!”. We say it when things are going smooth. We say it when great blue herons fly through our backyard. We say it when the mail takes 3 weeks to get to us. We say it when the landscaper and Bill get in a shouting match. We say it when dolphins are so curious about our children that they flock around the boat in numbers up to 20. We say it when we go for an evening walk with the kids and have owls swooping down around us and perching in our trees.

Paradise is as paradise does, and the beauty of this place can only be matched by the people who have chosen to call it home. We are so pleased to find such open, gentle, accomodating and friendly people. Not only do owls come to see us on our walks, but our neighbors do as well. It is not uncommon to go for a short walk and not return for an hour because we have stopped to visit with someone. I have fallen in love with our neighborhood and home.

Queen of the island she welcomed them in
Asking them questions of where they have been
She offered them chocolate she offered them tea
They all took their seats in the top of a tree

And racoons brought wine and the mice they brought cheese
Beautiful birds floated by on the breeze
From out of the oceans the dolphins began
Humming a tune that soon covered the land

Going shopping here is unreal. If you see something that you like and are not sure if it will match in the house? Well, the shop owner tells you to just take it on loan and bring it back if you don’t like it and pay for it if you do. Not just at one store, but at all of them. It doesn’t matter if it is a $40 picture or a $1000 piece of furniture. I have had more fun decorating this house than any I have ever owned. We are going with a tropical/beach theme, and I will post some pics soon.

I want to try and write a post about each of our kids in the next week or two. Several of you who read this blog know us personally….. but many of you who don’t, have followed our family for years on this blog, feel close to us and want to know how the kids are. The number one question I have received via e-mail is “How are the kids adjusting to their new life?” If I have not been able to answer your e-mail, I will try and do it here in a post….we have been very busy nesting, and I had over 130 personal e-mails to answer and have not responded to them all, so bear with me.

The kids have acclimated to life here with very few snags. Most amazing to me is watching my oldest son adjust to his new environment. Cory has just blossomed as a person. He loves his new school, and has made some really wonderful friends.

We are beyond pleased with his school. Many famliy members and friends poo-pooed our choice to send the kids to public school, but I have to tell you, Cory’s middle school rocks. He is in all pre-AP classes, and is prepping for college courses already. He will take his ACT and SAT this December as part of the Duke University Talent ID Program. Cory is a really bright kid, and boredom sets in easily for him. When he is bored, he shuts down. He does not give 100%, and his attitude stinks. We have had none of that since the move. Of all the kids, he was the one we were worried about the most in regards to moving. We worried about him making friends, as he is a quiet and shy kid who takes a very long time to warm up to people.

At “Meet the Teacher” night several weeks ago, I met Cory’s Texas History teacher. I had heard some really wonderful things about this man and his methods of teaching. I told him that Cory was upset about the move and that we were worried about him. This man took my hand and said “What period do I have Cory?” I told him and he then said “Please don’t worry about him. I will make this okay for him”. I left his room with tears in my eyes, shaking my head, thinking “there is something special about that teacher”.

I was right, and so was he. He did make it okay for Cory. Not only did this man captivate my son in the classroom, making him come home every night full of stories about Texas history, but he also kept an eye on my son throughout the day. He told me that he has been watching Cory, and he is proud of the friends he is making. He said that they are wonderful kids and were all becoming best friends.

Cory is up every morning at 5:50 for football practice. He is one of 2 quarterbacks for his team and also a running back. He is on cloud nine. He has been in the paper twice as one of 2 leading the offense. Watching him play football is so much fun. I find myself screaming and clapping at each play. Yes, I am becoming one of “those” mothers. I never felt this way about baseball and soccer. Those sports bored me to tears. Football, on the other hand, is so exciting and a blast to watch. Especially when your kid gets to play.

I have mentioned sailing a couple of times in recent months, no? I think I have even mentioned that Cory took to it like a fish to water. There was no learning curve for him. That old saying “See one, do one, teach one” applies to Cory in regards to anything on a boat. He is just like his father. When the hurricane was bearing down on us last month, Bill was at work in the ER, so Cory and I had to secure the boat by ourselves. We climbed aboard, and that kid started belting out orders to me left and right and I was just stunned. “No, not like that….tie it down like this”….. “That is the wrong knot for that, Mom”….”Secure the bimminy by wrapping the line around it like this and clipping it here”. It used to be that we had to tell him 3 times before he would listen to anything. On the boat, we don’t even have to ask once.

It appears to us that Cory has discovered himself….he has learned self confidence. He will turn 13 in just a few weeks, and he has arrived.

So have I. On the phone the other night, I was talking with my sister and telling her about how we were decorating the house. She said to me “Oh! You are decorating it with the sea. You have arrived. Welcome home, Jody.”

So young Mr. Moon flew away in the night
With his best friend Magnus right by his side
The sun was just rising, they’d be home by noon
Humming the words to this magical tune

Chanson pour les petits enfants
Chason pour toute le monde
Chanson pour les petits enfants
Chanson pour toute le monde

Song for the children
Song for the world