We moved to a new house in Englewood. It has a TON more space and is charmingly run down. We love not having to step over each other to get from one place to another, and our back yard is much more private. In the sweltering and scorching heat, we miss the central AC of the old house. Everyone's a little more sweaty.
I started a new job at a middle school in the Adams 14 School District. I left the treatment facility a few weeks before I got my Colorado teaching license, but it was definitely time to go. I applied for a ton of teaching jobs in arts and in special ed and finally landed a job at a public school as a Learning Specialist (Sped) for Moderate Needs students in Commerce City. I am so glad I stuck with middle school and that I'm teaching reading and math. I have pretty much no idea what I'm doing, but I enjoy it immensely. "My kids" are incredibly sweet and I look forward to work each and every day. After the wayward ladies at Excelsior I am grateful for normal adolescent brains. Or at least brains that are not hell bent on manipulating every single situation to the brain's advantage. I also love LOVE love working for a public school system. Not only do I reap the benefits of a strong union with a great collective bargaining agreement, I feel that I am doing the most radical activist work of my life. There is something profoundly rewarding about teaching these kids to read.
Will has moved up to the older toddler room. We are still in the midst of potty training with as many wet pants as dry, but he's pretty advanced with his gross motor skills so the Powers that Be at the daycare have officially moved him into the "Preschool." Will knows his colors, ABCs and can count to 12 (although he doesn't quite know how to apply the numbers) with good consistency. When Dave or I go to pick him up in the afternoon he is more often than not engaged in some form of daredevilry, flipping over monkey bars or swinging on a car tire. He's fearless. We will start swimming lessons as soon as I sign him up.
Another thing that Will has developed is a pretty cool imagination. He can play with toys now by himself and makes up little story.
Together we play a game with Playdoh. He builds a "cake" out of the Playdoh cans and I make "candles" out of the dough. Then he puts them on top of the tower and we sing the Happy Birthday song. This is the Happy You You Game.
He will also play with his toys and stuffies and make up little stories about them. I don't understand everything he's saying, but he's interacting in a new way with them. His favorite is a little Curious George monkey doll and a Cat in the Hat doll.
Things have names. He has a fondness of churches, they are called Big, Big Castles.
We can have a conversation with him. He talked about his playdate with Nathan (son of a colleague of mine) for an afternoon.
We can engage him in play, and his play is more involved. In fact it's hard to drag him away from certain things.
On July 4th we drove up to Mount Evans. The highest "Paved Road in America!" We didn't make it very far up to the peak (Will fell and was cold and hungry), but we had a great time driving around and looking at the primordial landscape.
Will likes to wear his "pack-pack" everywhere.
Will and I played in the water at the Museum of Art:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MnuLN2LnEA
Will and Dave rode an elephant for the very first time at the Renaissance Faire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBGYONVN5vc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVuTp__ZmU0
And then he played with this new sword while we waited for jousting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQvCHLkynEY
And most recently, Will had a massive meltdown on a hike at Garden of the Gods, a national monument in Colorado Springs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShBm0FIYoXY
Heh. Heh.
