Wow- what a month we’ve had. The babies are one, big brother is 4, and big sis is reading everything in sight. Michael and I are in the tricky part of the school year, where we feel the long days and our students have been stuck inside too much, and engagement is so hard! However, we were given the incredible gift of a week at home due to a snowstorm and dangerously low temps.
The girls are walking all over the place. Mia was first because she had impeccable balance. She was walking a few steps before their birthday. Lily took a little longer, but we saw her first steps during the week both of us were home, so that felt like a sweet, small, God moment that we were there for those first confident steps. The girls have also given us a a few full nights of sleep! We certainly haven’t caught up from the year of poor sleep, but every full night is so appreciated.
Our entire family is sick all the time. You name it- stomach bug, colds, fevers, coughs, we can’t seem to overcome the many sicknesses that winter brings. My immune system is still so weak, and Michael and I bring home everything from work. The big kids are constantly bringing something from pre-k or kindergarten. We are just doing the best we can. We are so thankful my mom is home with kids, especially the twins, during the day. I cannot fathom how sick the twins would be if they were in daycare. Due to the fact they were premature, I still worry about COVID and RSV. Please pray for good health and safety for the kids. We need energy to parent and to do our jobs, and every time the kids, or we are sick, all our energy is drained.
We are is such an incredible stage with big brother. He’s a pretty awesome big brother to the twins and such a fun sidekick to his big sister as well. But more importantly it’s been so fun watching him this year as he started pre-school and just develop his personality into a little jeopardy genius, wheel of fortune fanatic, weatherman, master builder, baker extraordinaire, and of course an out-of-this-world astronaut! We celebrated this weekend with a trip to Little Diggers in Dublin, watching airplanes land at the OSU airport, cake and ice cream with some family, and a little road trip to the Neil Armstrong Museum in Wapakoneta!
Watching him absorb knowledge is a joy, and in all my years of teaching I’ve never seen a kid absorb and retain knowledge so quickly. He loves planes and space and already knows more about the Apollo 11 mission and rockets and space shuttles than I do.
Michael and I are committed to making knowledge building a priority in our family. We teach them facts, explain processes, and plan outings and trips where we know they will take in the experience and return with tons of information. We love making learning hands on, and I love finding the perfect books for each kids’ interest.
Recently, I filmed the kids playing Jeopardy on one of our snow days. Michael made the board especially for them, and they LOVED IT. I put a small clip online, and it went viral, which was insane. We’re up to 210K views. I can’t believe so many people were amazed and found our kids love of knowledge so cute.
I feel this desire to expand the knowledge of my students every day. About 5 years ago, I read the book, The Knowledge Gap, by Natalie Wexler. She discusses in her book about how students all over the country no longer know basic things about history or science that earlier generations picked up from books or family experiences. I see that in my 5th graders. I want to make learning come to life for them and I want them to retain basic facts, like state capitals, a few anecdotes about some presidents, and some knowledge about different times in history. But it’s hard, and it’s not as fun for 10-11 year olds! Competing against technology and their love of video games complicates my desire to expand their understanding of the world.
That’s why Michael and I want this so desperately for our family, because we know this isn’t their teachers’ job. It’s a joy for us, and our kids are the perfect age for knowledge building. I wish it could say that it might lead to some homeschooling down the road, but I have no idea where will we be in a year. I’d love to expand this love of play, hands on learning, and knowledge building into a business at some point, but I need a business mentor first. (Any takers!?)
Cancer still rules my schedule, seeing my oncologist every 3 weeks. I still fear it could be spreading, but know that I have to trust in my scans. I’m so close to being done with the chemo pill, which I’ve been on for 9 months. The side effects are much better than IV chemo, but still draining. I can’t wait to be done!
Please pray for Michael and I as we try to finish this school year with energy and pray for direction as we try to decide what is next for us as a family. Cancer changed the way I see myself and our life, and it’s hard to know where to go next. Finding the “new me” while discovering parts of the “old me” is so hard. That’s just one of the many emotional tolls of cancer or any long term medical condition. It’s scary, but also exciting. To find new dreams and to make new plans with the people I love…it’s all a gift.
We’re praying for all of you as we all navigate this wild world we live in! Lean into each other and into the good of the world. 🩷
Reeves Family Blog 