Fonderie Series Evaluation, Children's Growth

Today we had our weekly leaders meeting of la Fonderie. There were 5 of us: Jim Beise, myself, and 3 French lay people who are committed to la Fonderie. It was encouraging to see the progress that has been made on the leadership team since the last series in Oct/Nov 2005. It's a privilege to be part of a team with these talented and committed teammates.

We covered lots of ground at the meeting. All in all, we were happy with the March series. The theme of "inspiration" helped draw all the talks together. One of the French guys mentioned that the leadership team seemed to be tighter knit now, which helped make the evenings successful.

We also talked about whether to continue the series of 4-5 consecutive weekly evenings twice a month. We may try another format during the 2006-7 school year.

We also came closer to a decision on the name of the new site on the Rue de Lille. This name will be released in the near future and help give an identity to this arts center.

Financially, we broke even, with a surplus of around 140 euros.

Our neighbor Isra came over and helped my wife while I was away at the meeting. She's been a big help already with our kids the past couple of months.

After the kids woke up from naps, we made chocolate chip cookies together. I remember making cookies with my mom and brother as a kid. Back then, we made them from scratch, rather than with a mix, like today. Our two oldest kids love to help in the kitchen and we want to encourage this. We want them to enjoy cooking and be able to learn some survival recipes for the future.

While I don't notice it everyday, all 3 kids are growing all the time.

Our oldest is making lots of progress during our Tuesday and Friday swim classes. He now has the floaties on both arms all the time and can flutter kick his way all around the pool. He's now tall enough that he can wash his hands in the bathroom sink without standing on the stool. He's using a lot more French now and also is bursting into song much more often than before.

Our oldest daughter is now using the potty chair most of the time. During the last 2 mornings, she's held in her pee and woken up with a dry diaper. She's also reading many books per day on her own.

Our 2 month old is spending more time in her playpen entertaining herself and looking around. She also can sit up on our sofa between two pillows for longer and longer periods. She's also getting more expressive, both with facial expressions and cooing.