The Many Faces of Benjamin Cook

6.30.2008



Ok, So raising boys is definitely different, but we are enjoying it. To recount all of Benjamin's mischief these last months would take a book, not a simple blog entry. So we've made this slide show to capture it for you. Enjoy (especially you grandparents who figure we're only getting what we deserve!)

Fun with Food

6.21.2008

Benjamin, now a fledgling Toddler, is all about doing things himself. Witness the joy and mess of an independent eater (Cheered on by big sisters out of camera view).







Last Month of School

6.12.2008

The last month of school for the girls was a crazy one. For Sophie, the school actually packed up and moved the first week or two in May. The new building is much roomier and will enable our fledgling school to grow and welcome more students. The effort was pretty massive to get everything packed and moved while still holding classes, but all the parents pitched in and got the job done. The new building is wonderful. I, Beth, am especially fond of the library, as that is where I put in my required volunteer (isn't that a bit of an oxymoron?) time as a parent. For those of you who know me and my reading habits, I am sure this isn't a stretch to imagine how much I love the job!

Annie's school is moving, too. We just don't have a building. So this last week of school we packed up all the preschool things and stored them at Sophie's school. So lots of boxes in our lives this month and lots of transitions. The biggest of these transitions is the loss of lots of special families who have been a part of our lives since moving here and who are now moving on...back to the States, or to somewhere new. We have said good-bye to about seven families this Spring alone and we are feeling the loss of them already. It has been a challenge to explain it all to our kids when we are quite sure how to deal with it ourselves!

To cap off the end of the year in a fun way, most of the student body and their families loaded up and went to a local water park (about an hour away) and spent the day together. The girls had a wonderful time, see below:



The next day we got to enjoy the End-of-the-Year assembly for Sophie and her schoolmates. I can close my eyes and remember the excitement of the last day of school, the giddiness and freedom all wrapped up in those few short hours. Sophie's face captures it all:












At the end of the school year each child receives a "Character Award". This award can be for an area in which they show natural gifting, or an in area that they have shown great improvement. Sophie (receiving her certificate above with teacher, Miss Barbara, and fellow students) received the award for DILIGENCE.


Summer break is fun and hard at the same time. Above, Sophie is getting one last hug from a good buddy.