Sunday, February 26, 2006
Hello From the Colemans
Hello Everyone!
February finds the Coleman family busy with the normal activities that fill our lives. Here's a not-so-brief recap of life in Turlock.
Anne is enjoying her freshman year at Turlock High School. She quickly jumped in with both feet (literally) running with the Cross Country team in the Fall and excelling in her classes. Anne was named a Scholastic Award winner for the first semester in both Health and Portuguese, the later of which made her Vovo quite proud! Currently, she's playing soccer on the JV team, which just won first place in a tournament featuring a dozen teams or so from throughout the greater Stanislaus/Merced county area. Anne's playing a midfield position and her Cross Country experience has truly enhanced her running endurance. She scored two of the three goals in the championship game against Beyer, which is icing on the cake for her -- she's just so happy to be playing soccer as she loves the game! Lastly, she's still playing the piano quite nicely and has just begun work on a series of pieces by Schubert -- too bad he didn't spell his name correctly!
Nicolaus, like Ben, is looking forward to turning 13 next month. We'll have two teenagers in the house, which luckily for us, hasn't been much different than previous years -- just busier! He recently had four teeth extracted to reduce crowding in his mouth as he prepares to get braces on Ash Wednesday. Talk about making a sacrifice -- he'll be fasting for a couple of days! The orthodontist predicts a 2-3 year duration for the braces as he has a number of challenges including overbite, off bite, crowding and protrusion. Nicolaus just rapped up basketball season with his class team and enjoyed the opportunity to play with his friends. A runner at heart though, both he and Martin are looking forward to a track clinic they participate in through the City of Turlock. Jeff has instilled in the kids a love of running which he's encouraging them to pursue, as it's a lifetime sport.
Martin is enjoying school and has been doing quite a bit of report writing this year. Currently, he's working on one about FDR, as they are now studying the Presidents. Last spring, Martin began taking piano with Anne's teacher and is doing well. He's anxious to play some of the pieces he remembers Anne doing and keeps pulling out her old books in anticipation. Since his favorite show is Jeopardy, he has managed to perfect the right hand of its theme song, so we now know Martin's at the piano when we hear that familiar tune! He's also working on a presentation for 4H, his first, which teaches his audience how to draw a comic vampire with seven easy steps. Martin has a love of drawing, especially Peanuts characters, which Grandpa enjoys. In fact, both are boys love to sketch and draw.
Jeff is in the throws of tax season with farming and partnership deadlines fast approaching! He has the gift of leaving stress at the office though, which allows him to relax when he's home. His season will be a bit shorter this year, as we are leaving April 14th for the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks. It's rare for the end of tax season to coincide with the kid's Easter vacation, so we are planning a week to celebrate Jeff's return to the family!
As for me, I sometimes find I live my life in 15-minute increments, shuttling kids back and forth between practices, meetings, school and the orthodontist! I wouldn't have it any other way though. I don't help as much in the classrooms because as the kids get older, there's less need. I do edit a page of our school newsletter, though, called "Parent-to-Parent" in which families are encouraged to share their parenting ideas. In my spare time, I serve as one of the leaders of our parish's Womens Bible Study group on Thursday afternoons. I've really enjoyed the women and I've learned so much. We're currently doing a 12-week study entitled, "Understanding and Explaining the Catholic Faith". It's so interesting as we are learning about the origins of the Catholic Church, the Eucharist, the Bible, etc. and how the Protestant faiths differ in their beliefs.
Well, that's the news with us. Hope you and your families are all doing well!
Lots of love,
Lori
