March Happenings...

Is it really already nearing the end of March? It seems like just a few short weeks ago we were heading home from MI after meeting Abby. Time goes at warp speed these days I think! The "Daily Bailey" has turned into something more resembling the "Quarterly Bailey" but I'm happy to update when I can.

As for the Bailey family and how the new year has been treating us, life is good! Chuck's new job as a supervisor in pricing is keeping him busy. He just hired a new person to take over Illinois, and I know he is excited about that. He has a sinus infection at the moment and got some antibiotics today, so hopefully that goes away soon :-( After another round of cortisone shots to his heels for his plantar fascitiis, his feet are feeling a bit better (though not 100%).

My new job at the library is going really well! I made it through my first 8 week session of story times unscathed:-) I have a lot of fun at work and it really is the perfect job for me. I get to see so many of the people I know from school, preschool and the Y, so it is a fairly social job (which fits my personality) and I also have a lot of independence at work to plan my story times the way I like and do my own crafts, felt boards, etc. It's been a bit hectic lately because our head librarian is out on sick leave, but we are managing and the extra pay for the extra hours has been nice!

Aiden had his 7th birthday party last weekend! He invited 6 friends from school and had a Pokemon themed party. They had a Skylanders tournament, played "pin the pokeball", had cake, ice cream and snacks, and just hung out. It was a nice party and I think he really enjoyed it. I am proud of him for wanting a party and glad that everyone he invited was able to attend, it really made him happy! His actual birthday is this Saturday (the 23rd) but I am working all day, so we had the party a week early. Aiden is doing really well in school, reading at a 3rd grade level and also excelling in math. He's gotten 100% on every spelling test so far this year and graduated to the "advanced" spelling lists of 12 words instead of 7. It's been a challenge finding reading material that is age-appropriate since his skill level is so high, but luckily his mom is a librarian and has pretty unlimited resources, so we're managing, lol. I think he's looking forward to Spring Break in a few weeks just to have a bit of a break from school. We're not going anywhere on vacation because I'm not able to take any time off until August (I know...crazy), but I am definitely planning on taking the kids to the Science Center and maybe the Zoo if it is nice out. We should have a few fun days in there despite me working, and Chuck is taking a few days off to help out also.

I don't have too much to report on Ava. She is her same sassy self, lol. She's learning to read now and doing very well--she has 50 sight words memorized now out of the Dolch 300, which is a great start! It's seeming to come very naturally for her, which is wonderful. I know how frustrating it can be for some beginner readers, but she's picking up on it very easily and she is eager to learn, so that is a great combination. She is very good at doing puzzles and loves to color, draw and write. She's ready for Kindergarten and when we registered her a few weeks ago for next year, she was extremely disappointed to learn that it didn't start immediately, lol. As for myself, I am very ready to have both of my kids going to the same school! And be done paying for preschool also, an added bonus!

That sums it all up for now. I'm hoping for some warmer temps and for spring to actually get here soon, it is FREEZING today! Looks like the Groundhog missed the mark this year!