Update

So it's been several weeks since I've made a post, but things are really starting to return to normal around here.  I had a really rough day on Monday, but we made it through.  Veteran's Day was the first day I had to make it through that would have absolutely guaranteed a phone call to my dad if he was still alive.  It was a little rough going out with my husband and son to celebrate the day, but I managed.  We went out to eat, saw a movie, and even did a little bit of Christmas shopping.

I lined up my house sitter this week, and am working on finalizing our plans to go home for Christmas.  Elliott has never spent a Christmas with anyone other than my husband, my sister, and me.  It will be a new experience to spend it with most of my mom's brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, etc, along with my mom, my siblings, and our little family.  He will of course spend time with my husband's family, too, although that will probably be a different day.

I'm just glad that Elliott has a Christmas break that is long enough to go home this year.  Since he missed the first 12 days of school, we wouldn't pull him out of school for even a day or two for Christmas.

Speaking of school, Elliott is doing really well.  His teacher was impressed by how quickly he finished his work from the first three weeks of school.  His grades are good, and he genuinely enjoys most subjects.  His teacher says she really enjoys talking with him, and listening to his ideas.  She says he is very creative, but instead of just coming up with new ideas, he actually tries to find a way for them to work.

He is obviously still going to public school, but we are supplementing at home with different things that he wants to learn.  His favorite things are history, science, and handwriting, but there's really not a subject he doesn't like.  Most weeks when we sit down together and discuss what we want to learn that week, he includes all different subjects. He is obsessed with books.  Most of his Christmas list this year was books.  And other than one $5 movie, he has spent his allowances and extra chore money from August on, on books.  We are running out of room, even though we just boxed up another 100-150 books that he had outgrown.  We plan on putting a bookshelf in the craft room in the near future. :)

So that's the update on my family.  I'm going to try to get on here and write more frequently, but that's it for now.