and another month goes by...

Another month has zoomed by and I can not seem to keep this blog updated more often than once a month.  I hope to do better but honestly with the holidays looming around the corner I do not see that happening.

 Here are the latest happenings and events for the Doffing children...

The kids celebrated UN day at school at the end of September.  It is a huge event at their school.  The kids dress up in clothing that represents their country.  Their school is very diverse and see a wide range of costumes.  The parents also bring in dishes from their home country to share with the class.  I am pretty sure the parents enjoy the food more than the students!  Bryce requested lemonade, Layne wanted Mac and Cheese and Graham with no surprises wanted popcorn chicken. 

My biggest accomplishment that day was juggling 3 events at the same time.  Needless to say I was exhausted at the end of UN Day!

In early October Bryce needed to have bilateral hernia surgery.  It was just a day procedure but still anything that requires anesthesia is stressful.  Bryce was so brave and handled everything much better than her mommy did.  She just missed a couple of days of school.  I would say she bounced back rather quickly.  

 Pumpkins were plentiful this time around in Singapore.  They were scarce last year so the kids were excited to go to the Pumpkin Patch at school this year.  It is not quite the same as Texas but they still enjoyed picking out their pumpkins.

 After the pumpkin patch the girls and I rushed off to soccer for Layne.  Saturday mornings are packed these days but we always find the time for soccer. 

I hate to say it but I've turned into a soccer mom.  Layne may be the only American on her team and is the only girl so I am sure the other parents don't appreciated my enthusiasm for my little girl.  She.is.good! 

 So while, Layne was schooling those Singaporean boys in soccer, Bryce was on the hill modeling!

A month in...

We are a month into school and I think we are finally into a good routine.  It was a little tricky the first couple of weeks but we have survived the first month of school.

Figuring out how to get 3 kids ready in the morning in the shortest amount of time proved challenging but we have accomplished getting out the door in under 30 minutes with no tears.  Most days.

Graham is enjoying second grade.  So far the homework has been minimal and he whips through it pretty quickly.  He seems like such the big kid these days.  He is even choosing to read chapter books on his own instead of video games.  This makes me beyond happy.  

He started football season.  He practices twice a week so that keeps him pretty busy.  It is still flag football here.  No tackle until we move back to Texas.  Graham will pick basketball and Taekwondo back up as soon as football is over. 

Layne slid right into Kindergarten with no problems.  She has really adapted well and LOVES going to school.  She is doing gymnastics, ballet and soccer.  Her schedule sounds full but if I left it up to her she would be doing piano and taekwondo as well.  She has been doing soccer since we moved to Singapore and she has really come a long way!  I am thrilled she loves it.  She doesn't even care that she is the only girl.

Bryce has settled into Kindergarten as well.  Working out her sleep has been the most challenging but we did.  She needs the most sleep out of all the kids and once I figured out the "right" bedtime our morning became easier and school became enjoyable.  Sometimes she will go to bed as early as 6:30pm.  As crazy as that sounds she often goes without complaint as she is just so tired from her busy day.  Bryce is doing gymnastics and ballet.  I want to put her in some kind of drama or singing as that is where she excels but I think 3 after school activities may a bit much for her.

As for me I am finding plenty of things to fill my days while the kids are all at school.  Graham wrote at school what he thinks I do all day and he wrote...goes to the gym to exercise, teaches our helper how to cook, and works on the computer.  He is partially right so I will let him continue to believe that I actually teach someone how to cook...it's laughable!  I am just thankful he did not say goes shopping and lunches everyday.

We even still make time for fun every once in awhile.  Even on a school night.

We recently celebrated the Autumn Moon Festival with lanterns and moon cakes in our neighborhood.  It was at dark and most kids went in their jammies as they had to go straight to bed as soon as the parade was over.

Graham, Katie, Layne, Bryce and Maddie with their lanterns.

and then there were none...

 

It is that time of year again.  However, this year I sent 3 kids to the "big" school instead of 1.  Bryce and Layne finally were able to join Graham at Singapore American School (SAS).  The kids started off by meeting their teachers at Open House.  2 of the 3 kids are having male teachers this year.  This will be a first in our household.  So we are looking forward to a great school year! 

Layne, Katie, Bryce, Graham and Austin waiting to meet their teachers at Open House.

Mr. Kirshner and Bryce!  I am so relieved that Bryce came around to having a male teacher.  She was quite anxious about it but once she met him all her fears were washed away!  He may not be able to get rid of her at the end of the year.

Layne and Ms. Scott.  Ms. Scott is Australian and has a lovely accent.  I am sure Layne will be sounding Australian in no time.

Mr. Taylor and Graham

The first day of school started EARLY.  The kids woke up at 5:45 in the morning.  I wasn't sure how long it would take to get three kids ready at that hour so we opted for an early wake up.  IT went smoothly and even had too much time left over.  Needless to say we won't be waking up at 5:45 on Thursday.  I think 6:00 am will work out just fine.
All the kids have different special schedules so that means the kids will never all have the same uniform on the same day.  That makes it a little  more stressful for me to make sure each kid has the proper uniform on for the day.

Bryce wearing her jumper and Layne geared up for PE.

Graham in his standard uniform.

All 3 ready to take on the new school year!

Walking to the bus stop in the dark!  The girls actually thought it was cool to be going out in the dark.  I am sure that novelty will wear off soon.

On the way up the steps of the bus on their way to their first day of Kindergarten!

and then there were none...
The house was empty all day.  
No noise. No cartoons. No snacks to make.
No little ones calling for mommy.
4:00 pm could not get here fast enough.

Where did the summer go?

Summer 2011 will be shutting its doors in  one week.  I can't believe I have not blogged or posted pics all summer.  That just goes to show how busy or lazy I have been all summer.  I choose to believe I was busy and not lazy at all.

I'm just going to do a quick recap for documentation and them it will be picture heavy.  I am hoping once school starts then I will have more time to be more consistant.  All 3 kids will be at SAS this year so surely my time cup will runneth over...

As soon as the 2010-2011 school year came to a close we headed to Texas for the next several weeks.  We had a great time seeing family and friends.  We went to Houston, Illinois, McAllen, and Dallas.  We tried to squeeze in as much as possible during our time stateside but we still did not get to do everything or see everyone we wanted.

So the pictures are out of order and I have tried to rearrange them but don't have the patience anymore...

 Bryce making a grass angel!

 The kids with their Great Grandmother Helen Doffing

This was Layne asleep at a restaurant when we arrived to Houston...JET LAG!